Spring-wheel.



.G CRAWFORD & T. VBITCH.

SPRING WHEEL.' APPLIOATION FILED JAN. a1, 1911.

1,027, 105, Patented May 21, 1912.

vl` 'Beit known that We, GEORGECCRAWFORD n wheels, the hubs of which are connectedto 1 rality ofsprings is employed, thespacing of'Y the springs.

-of the `'invention is e f-ul :Improvements in Spring-Wheels, yof;

and" .the-hub portion arey lsuch that the .thereby a leverage at the point of connec- .ing thereby serious trouble. 'Another defect i the defects hereinbefore mentioned.

cutellly srArEs PATENT onirica,

GEoRGE-CRAWFRD, or NEW rc'iRK,l N. Y., AND rHoMAsvEITcH, oR'nUMoNr, NEWA JERSEY; SAID vnrrcn; AssIeNoR To ssrn CRAWFORD.

i. i SPRING-WHEEL 1,027,105` Specification of Letters Patent.

."locll` 'whom 'it 'may concern:

and THOMAS VErroH, .citizens offthe United States, and residents oflth'e city of New York, in the county of New vYork and State ofNe-w York, and Dumont, in the county of` Bergen-and State fof New ersey, respectively," haveinvented certain new and use-- which the following :is 'a.specilication.v f

The presentinvention relates to wheels fon vehicles, and .more particularly to the' wheel proper by means of spiral springs.l Inl wheels `.of this character the v springs are `connected with the two sections of' the hub, and-,in-those-iheretofore in use the connec- =tion between the innerv ends of the springs springs tend to' unwind from the hub on they backward movement of the vehicle, causing- -tion, which is apt to break the springs, caus- "qf the spring wheels of this type, heretofore in use, consists. in the fact that, if a plumeans for holding t-he same the requiredv ydistance apart is either ineffective in its operation, or interferes with the proper action Itisnow one of the objects of the present invention to provide a wheel with a spring yielding hub and with means for obviating Another object oflthe invention is to produce a spring wheel, which can be used both upon heavy and light vehicles, and withmaterial Astructural changes in theA Wheel-.4 f

A'v further object of the invention is vto 'provide a 4Wheel vof the character specified which can be easily assembled, even`witl1- out-the aid ofaskilled mechanic.

A still` further object 'of the invention is to generally .improve and simplify the construction 'of the wheels heretofore in use, so that the same can be manufactured on a areso simple toy produce as not to be beyond the rieasonable cost of such ,a device.

With these' and other objects in View, which will more full appear as the nature`lrlr` etter understood, the;

same -mnsists inthe combination, arranger",

ment and construction ofy parts .hereinafter fully 'described, pointed out inthe appended claims and -illustrated in the. accompanying drawings, changes may b e made in the size 'and proportionfof the several parts and minor details of construction without departing from thespirit- 'or sacrificing anyfof the adva'ny tages of the invention. n Y One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is illust-rated in the'accompanying drawings, in which Iigure l 1s a side elevation of a portion Patented May ,21; 1912.'- Appnc'atin mammary 31,1911.. serial 110.6055175. l i

itjbeing understood f-that" many u A 6Gv i of one of the improved wheels with someof the parts removed therefrom, and Fig; 2is a section Itaken on line 2, 2 of Fig, 1.

; The hub'of the wheel comprisesan inner .section 3 and an outer section 4,l which are movable relative to each yother ina direction at'right angles tothe axis'y of the wheel axle, and are normally held in their'conc'entric or nearly concentric'al positions-by yielding means hereinafter to be described." l

The section 3 of the hub comprises a'tu; bular member' 5, having avvertically dis-v posed ange 6, to which is *attached a disk 7. A similar disk 8 is providedwith ascrew threaded 'centrally arranged hole 9,

the "threads of which mesh with thes'crewl `A threaded end 10 of the tubular member 5.

The disk 8 :is held in itsproper-positionby means of lock nuts 11, 11', which engage also the screw threaded end v10 of said tubular member 5; The disks 7 and 8 are'spaced'- apart a distance which is equalto the thick,v

ness of themovable section Llofthe hub. 'A4

sleeve 12, surrounding the member i5, is: ari ranged between the disks 7 and 8, and-at tached thereto, for' instance,- by means of a' key 13. This sleeve is provided with a plu-` ralit-y of transverse' grooves 14, 14 running in a 'direction of the4 longitudinal axisfoff said sleeve.'` These grooves are arranged'at g y equaladistances `1n the' sleeve, and are of a number which corresponds to that 'of 'the' springs used upon the wheel. i i The movable -section of Athe1hub is ringA shaped and comprises two parts 1Q and 16," v

which-gare united by means of 'screw bolts' 17, or other fastening devices, which engage at the same time the spokes 18 of the wheels.

The inner `ends of these spokes are .seated in sockets 19, formed 'upon the movable section of the hub, while their enten, ends are' connected to the felly 2() in th' usual of the springs are seated in their correspondmanner. Upon this telly is shrunk or otherwise secured a rim 21,car1ry1ngha solid rubl-ber' tire 22 of the well known construction.

It will be observed from the drawings that the section 3 of the hub is concentrically arranged upon the wheel aXle and remains always in ,such position, while the -Section 4- isadapted to move relative to the section 3 in a direction at right' angles to..

the axis of the axle. The two hub sections ,are united by resilient means,-mo're particularly by a' pluralit'yof springs 23, inthe Vthe hub and correspond in number to the number of tlic'grooves 14. The springsv are .wound in `the -same directions, so as not to oppose ythe actions of. each other, and are fastened equidistantly around the peripheries of the two huby sections, to cause equal viressure around the periphery of the wheel. The c oss sections. ot the innermost convolutions of the springs, 23 arel trapeziform'; the larger of the two parallel sides of the trapezia contacting with the sleeve 12. The springs are spa 'ed apart by rings 28, which are also ot' trapeziform cross section. The inclined sides of the rings contact wit-h the inclined sides of the trapezitorm cross sections of theinnermost convolutions ot' the springs These rings are in engagement with almost the *.whole of the smallest convolutions of tl'ie springs, whereby the latter' are safelykept upon thesleeve 12, bothvin radial and lateral directions, not only when the vehicle runs forward, but also when backward..v 'The-strain, to which the points of attachment of thev springs `to the hub section 3 are subjected, isdivided all over the `first convolutions of the-springs. There is, therefore, less danger of breakage.

The wheel'is `assembled as follows: The disk 7 is attached to the iiange 6, and the hub section 415 with the spokes and the wheel placed in position upon thedisk 7. The ring contacting with the disk 7 is then engaged with the sleeve 12, whereuponalternately the springs and other rings 28 are brought into their proper places. The lugs ing grooves 14 and notches 26. The section 16 ot the movable portion ofy theliub' is then fsecuredto the section 15, and finally the disk 8 and the locking nuts 11, 11

wheel axle and thus to the body of the vehicle arranged thereon.

`lVhile herein four springs have been shown, it is to be understood that a greater or lesser number of springs may be used, ac-

cording to the requirements. The cross sections /of the springs may also be greatly varied as the vwheel is used upon heavy or lighter vehicles.

The hub may be filled withoil or other lubricating material. through an opening 30, which is then' closed by a plug 31.

.VVhatw'e claim is: 1. In a spring wheel hub, the combination with an anle'carryingV inner member, of a' spoke carrying outer member capable of movement relatively to said inner member, a plurality ofL spr-ings mounted side by side upon said inner memberand attached'to both members, and wedging' rings 'for spacingy apart said springs and keeping almost their entire smallest convolutions continu.

with an axle carrying4 inner member, ot'a spoke carrying'outer member capable of movement relatively to said inner member,

a sleeve secured to said inner member, a plufl rality of springs mountedside -by sideupon said sleeve and attached to the latter andsaid outer member, the smallest convolu- 4tions of said springs being-otl tral'aeziform' cross section, and rings ot trapezitorm cro'ss' section arrangedv between said springs upon saidsleeveythe inclined sides of said ringsl contacting throughout their length Awith the inclined sides of the smallestfconvolutions of said springs, whereby the latterfarespaced apart and almost-their entire small ,est convolutions constantly kept in Contact with said sleeve. l

Signed at New York, in the countyfo'f'.' `New York and ,State of New York, this 20th day of January, 1911'.

GEORGE CRAWFORD; THOMAS VEITOH..l Vitnesses: ff

HENRY J. CRAWFORD,

SIGMUND HERZOG. i 

